Liar, Liar, Six Years' Shadow
by TheDeep
Summary: After six years of being missing, Mac is finally found... but how many secrets has he developed over the years? Mac is found with a strange young girl and Mac is reluctant to tell her story, which pushes his team to try and dig up the events of six years past to find the truth to Mac's lies. But after six years apart... could anything possibly ever be the same as before?
1. Chapter 1: Six Years

**I have no real idea on where this particular story came from, but here it is… regardless. This might be a while before a second chapter, seeing as many, many of my other stories deserve other chapters. ("Connections", "The Devil, The Tower, and The Hanged Man", and "9/11 is 911" are just to name a few that are on my priority list…)**

**~ Chapter One: Six Years ~**

The radio was blaring loud and a man and a young girl shrank lower to the floor as they heard another door being kicked in.

"CLEAR!"

The man, looking rather rough in a pair of worn jeans and a faded t-shirt that hung over his thin frame and highlighted his dull eyes, looked over his shoulder at the girl. "C'mon," he urged quietly, hand on the girl's shoulder as he urged her forward and they darted in to the next area of shadows.

The movement caught the eye of one of the officers. The officer paused, gun in hand and his blue eyes scanned the area as he stood tall.

Another detective joined him, stepping carefully. He took one hand away from his gun to readjust the position of his glasses. "You see something, Don?" he asked quietly.

The taller officer nodded, a bit of his black hair falling in to his eyes. He responded to that by shaking his head and then nodded to the shadows. "Someone's here."

The two detectives nodded, stepping forward cautiously, trying to look ahead.

The young girl peeked out from behind the protective arm the man had put over her and saw the two detectives advancing slowly. The man must've noticed too, because he stepped back until they were both plastered against the wall. She looked up at him and he offered her a small, reassuring smile before the detectives caught them in the beams of their flashlights.

The man put himself between the girl and the officers, eyes fixed warily on both men before him.

"Hands where we can see 'em, now!" one of the officers commanded, nodding to the man.

The man put one of his hands in the air, the other hand still on the girl's shoulder.

But the tall, black haired detective hesitated, laying a hand on the arm of his partner. Disbelief was written on his face and he lowered his gun. "Mac?" he asked.

The man looked back at them, recognizing the name he heard, but wondering why this detective knew it. He took a good long look at both of the men in front of him, one with dirty blonde hair and glasses, the other standing a little taller with bright blue eyes and dark black hair that looked a bit out of place at the moment.

And slowly it dawned on him and he slowly withdrew his hand from the girl's shoulder. "Don? Danny?"

_Six Years Earlier…_

"CODIS results for you, detective," a lab tech with black hair that was pulled neatly back in to a ponytail said as she handed over a sheet of crisp paper to the man that stood leaning over the table in the conference room of the New York Crime Lab.

The man nodded his thanks and took the paper, looking down at it.

"Did anyone get ahold of him yet?" That would be a tall woman with a detectable southern accent. Her black hair was also pulled back in to a ponytail, but she looked rather stressed.

The rest of the group gathered in the room were all about to pitch in their response when the man that had taken the paper stood and fixed a dark look on all of them.

"I wouldn't expect one," he said quietly.

The woman that had entered stepped forward and looked at the paper that the man had now laid on the table.

Silence stretched through the room before the man took a deep breath. The rest of the team leaned forward in anticipation, not liking the look they saw.

"DNA results are a match," the man said.

"Oh… God, no," a redhead murmured and buried her face in her hands. The man beside her put an arm around her shoulders and had a look of shock and anger burning in his eyes.

The rest of them looked on with simple shock. They couldn't wrap their heads around this.

"Are you sure?" The man leaning on the wall towards the back of the room asked, eyes narrowed until only blue slits were visible from his eyes.

"I had it triple checked by the techs," the man in the front said with a nod.

The woman with the black hair set her jaw with determination and worry flaring inside her. "We find him. And we find him fast. I want the sons of bitches found as soon as possible."

_ooOOoo_

The two detectives stared back in shock, trying to grasp the idea that they'd been presented with. "Mac?"

The man nodded, looking from one detective to the other, their shock reflected in his own eyes.

The taller one finally snapped out of it. "Let's get you out of here," he said. His partner finally holstered his gun and Mac turned back to the little girl.

"C'mon. These men are ok," he said, offering the girl his hand.

The little girl nodded, ages of trust behind her wrapping her little hand around the older man's own.

She followed Mac as they trailed the two detectives out to a waiting ambulance.

After a few moments of being fussed over by medics, the two detectives were allowed back at the side of Mac and the girl.

"What the hell happened to you, Mac?"

Mac took a deep breath as he sat on the edge of the ambulance, looking at the little girl that sat beside him, fiddling with the edges of the blanket that had been wrapped around her. "Can I have a minute with these gentlemen?" he asked her gently.

The little girl looked up and nodded, sliding off the edge of the ambulance and quickly venturing to the side of a female officer she'd been told she could wait with.

Mac looked back to the detective that had asked the question, a long lost friend he knew only as Danny after six years of not hearing from the detective.

"Reader's Digest version?" he asked.

Danny nodded. "Whatever you prefer."

"Then it can wait," Mac said, standing.

"It can wait my ass," the other detective, Don, spoke, a hand going to Mac's shoulder. The gesture was firm yet forgiving. "Have you seen yourself?"

It was a question that had reason. A scar ran down the left side of Mac's neck, an old injury from what Don and Danny were guessing was the cared-for blade of a sharp weapon. And that was only the top on their list of their concerns.

Mac sat back down with a sigh, looking at the two detectives in front of him. He had a hell of lot of storytelling to do if these two were asking the whole story from six years ago to now.

"Who's the girl?" Danny asked.

"Amber," Mac responded. There was a moment of hesitation and his gaze locked on the girl as he answered.

"How old is she?" Danny continued.

"Four years," Mac said, eyes coming back to focus on the men in front of him. He clearly saw their confusion.

"Mac… do you know when you went missing?"

The confidence in Mac's voice now wavered, "Six?" It was more of a guess. "I honestly didn't get to keep count."

Danny and Don exchanged a glance. "Do you know who took you?"

"Only one of them. A woman; I knew her as Rachel."

"Where's Rachel now?"

Mac shrugged. "God knows," he said. "She came and went as she pleased, even after Amber was born."

"Whoa… Amber's her daughter?" Don interrupted with a confused gaze fixed on Mac.

Mac nodded. "Yes." There was hesitation in his voice again and his answer was rather curt, not going beyond that one word.

"Who's her father?" Danny asked, head cocked to the left as he examined Mac in concern.

Mac shrugged, seemingly recovered from his hesitation. "I don't know. Rachel never told me anything more than she wanted me to know."

That seemed to fit; Danny now took a look at the dark bruising on Mac's wrists. He also saw a bit of dried blood from what he knew were struggles to get out of restraints, probably zip ties or ropes from what he saw.

Don picked up again, "You said you only knew one of them. How many were there?" He was starting to really regret all this questioning they had to do.

Mac shrugged again. "Three or four others; another woman and three men." He paused, head leaning to the side a bit now, looking like something had just occurred to him. "Actually… the other woman's name… Rachel called her Lilly, but I believe her full name is Lillianne. Rachel only used her full name in arguments."

Danny and Don both nodded. "Well, I think that's enough for now. You both need to be in a hospital."

Don nodded a bit. "I'll call Jo and let her know about this." His brain was on overload, trying to process the amount of things that had just been told to him.

The female officer returned with a giggling Amber at her side. Amber crawled up beside Mac and Danny didn't miss the smile that flashed across Mac's face. Paramedics joined them quickly, taking one last look over their two patients before urging both in to the ambulance for transport to the nearest hospital.

The driver of the ambulance paused and looked to Danny. "Is there anything you need besides the routine, Detective?" he asked.

Danny nodded, still troubled by Mac's hesitation when he said about Amber's mother and father. "If you could get me a sample of the girl's DNA, I'd be grateful – and keep an eye on both of them, would you? Closely," he said.

The driver nodded. "Sure thing, Detective. I'll have the doctors call you when we have those two settled in."

With that, the driver turned and got in the ambulance with his partner, starting the vehicle and turning on the lights and sirens before the vehicle pulled away.

Danny looked back over his shoulder as Don rejoined him, taking a deep breath.

"Six years…" Don murmured, following the ambulance with his eyes until he couldn't see it anymore.

Danny nodded, just as shocked and uncertain as Don. "Six years… How'd Jo take it?"

"She wants to know as soon as we do what hospital they're at," Don said. "She wants to see him for herself."

"I don't blame her," Danny said. "I wouldn't believe it unless I saw it either…"

"So who the hell did this?" Don asked, looking over at Danny. "Who kidnaps the head of the crime lab and keeps him alive for six years, allowing the whole city to believe he's dead, and gets away with it for all this time?"

Danny took a deep breath and let it out as a sigh. "That's what we gotta figure out. There's gotta be something a lot deeper than we see here."

He indeed had a few butterflies at the pit of his stomach. He felt like there was something they weren't hearing… and even though it was expected on first accounts… Mac's hesitation was extremely unlike the Mac that Danny knew.

Was there really something Mac wasn't telling them? Danny was inclined to believe that was exactly the truth.


	2. Chapter 2: Keys To The Truth

**I already had this chapter plotted in my mind, so I figured it'd be best if I just got this typed up and posted. And also a bit of a heads up for my absence over most of today and tomorrow since I'm heading for a concert. (Dustin Lynch, Little Big Town, and Keith Urban to be specific! I can't wait!)**

**~ Chapter Two: Keys To The Truth ~**

"They're both here, Detective Danville," the young man said with a nod towards the door of the room. "Wouldn't allow us to break them up."

Jo nodded, still trying to make sense of all of it. "Thanks," she murmured quickly, opening the door to the room and stepping inside. As she closed the door behind her, she took in the scene before her, feeling all the more at a loss for what was going on and if it was all truly happening.

"Any eight's?" Amber asked. She had about five or six cards in her hands as she sat on the end of the bed.

Mac looked over his own cards with a frown. "Go fish," he told her after a moment.

Amber shot the older man a look over the tops of her cards and grabbed a card from the stack they'd situated between them. It was then that they both realized their visitor and they both looked up.

"Jo?" Mac asked, just managing to cover up his uncertainty.

Jo nodded and felt like she couldn't speak. Eventually, she took a seat off on the side of the room and both Mac and Amber set their cards to the side and exchanged a look that sent Jo's mind reeling with questions.

"It's been too long, Mac Taylor," Jo finally said, throwing off her confusion. Maybe it was just the fact that it had been six years since she'd seen the man and even then she'd only known him for roughly two or three years.

Mac nodded. "Indeed," he agreed, looking over at her. His blue eyes were filled with concern. "Are you alright?"

Jo looked up at him and took a deep breath, struggling for some kind of response. After several moments of silence that seemed to stretch hours to her, she finally said, "No."

Her response seemed to make Mac a little more uneasy and concerned. "What's wrong?"

Jo looked him right in the eyes, trying to fight tears. It had been six years since she'd last seen him, heard his voice, and here he was acting like it had only been six weeks. "Mac," she nearly choked on the emotion in her voice, "It's been six years… How on Earth am I supposed to be alright?"

Amber silently slid off the bed and headed for the door and Mac's gaze switched uncertainly between Amber and Jo.

Before Amber stepped fully in to the hall, she paused to look back at Mac and Mac gave her a small nod to signal he'd be fine.

Amber, seeming satisfied with that, stretched up and closed the door behind herself and presumably found a nurse to keep her company.

Mac looked back at Jo, trying to find a way to swallow all of this. His mind was racing… He barely knew this woman! He searched her eyes for something… anything to give him any kind of answers.

But it was rather clear she was looking for answers from him. No help there.

"How are any of us supposed to be ok?" he finally responded, holding her gaze evenly. "Six years and I barely remember any of you!" he pointed out, having to look away. That statement hurt even him. He'd known these people for over ten years, at least… most of them, and he didn't have a clue as to what their full names were. He barely remembered working crime scene after crime scene with them, spending hours stressing over all of them and worrying on how much longer it would be before the job would snap his determination and strength…

He almost remembered nothing of it.

Jo looked at him with clear shock and he grimaced, not knowing what he was supposed to say now. By now he'd counted twelve tiles on the floor of the room.

"I guess you have a point." Jo's defeated sigh broke off his train of thought as he added one more tile for a total of thirteen and he looked back up at her.

He shook his head. "Point or no point… it's been six years regardless of what happened to me or any of you… I'll be damned the day we're not friends just because of something as small as this."

"Small?" Jo asked, finally unable to stop the tears.

Mac flinched again, feeling ashamed because he knew he'd said the wrong thing. _Again._

"In what way is this small to you, Mac?" Jo continued, giving up on trying to understand all of it.

"Jo… relax, I didn't mean it like that," Mac said quietly, looking back down to the tiles of the floor and abandoning the task of counting them for something that made sense to his mind now.

He finally found the courage to look back up at her. "Of course this isn't small. Not for you guys and certainly not for me. I've spent the past four years struggling to just keep Amber away from the things I'd experience for two years before she was even born. Believe you me, it wasn't easy, but somehow I made it work. If I could keep her safe from that and still be standing here today, then I'm pretty certain that we can work this out."

Jo looked over at him. The seriousness of his tone surprised her and what she heard she didn't like.

What on Earth had happened to him in the past six years that made him talk like it was _that bad?_

**ooOOoo**

"I heard you guys found Mac?" Hawkes asked as he met Danny, who was stepping off the elevator.

Danny nodded, his shock still troubling his expression. "Yeah… and that's not the only person we found," he said, holding up the DNA sample he'd gotten from the nurse at the hospital where Mac and Amber had been taken.

Hawkes looked at him in confusion. "What makes you say that?"

"He was with a four year old girl, Hawkes. According to Mac, her name's Amber and the person responsible for his disappearance six years ago is the girl's mother."

Hawkes stopped short in surprise, fixing a stunned gaze on Danny. "How old did you say the girl was?"

Danny looked back over his shoulder at Hawkes. "Yeah, I know. She's four years old, Hawkes. That means she was born two years after Mac went missing; Mac told me and Don about it."

Hawkes took a deep breath and shook his head a bit as he finally continued to follow Danny until they were in the DNA lab.

"So you want to know who her father is?" Hawkes asked, putting two and two together as he laid his hands palms down on the table as Danny took up position on the other side of the table across from him.

"Exactly," Danny said with a nod as he set to work. "I don't need an exact match, but Mac said he didn't know who the girl's father was."

Hawkes nodded, sensing Danny wasn't telling him the full story. Danny paused when he felt Hawkes had fixed a knowing look on him, and Hawkes had done just that.

"You think Mac's lying."

Danny sighed, holding Hawkes's gaze as evenly as he could. "Yeah, I do. It was in the way he talked to us… That's not him."

Hawkes sighed and shook his head, withdrawing his hands from the table. "I wouldn't expect him to be, Danny. We have no idea what happened to him or what he saw these past six years… People change, Danny."

"All the more reason to find out about this girl," Danny countered stubbornly, making Hawkes look back over at him. "She's the key to finding out what's going on here. I just know it."

Hawkes looked at him for a moment before nodding. "Alright, you win that one," he finally muttered in defeat, walking around the table to join Danny behind the computer. "I can't disagree that the girl definitely has some kind of importance here."

Danny nodded as he leaned back in the chair he'd taken a seat in, ready to wait for a while to get the results that would confirm his thoughts or disprove them. "We just have to find out what that importance is."


	3. Chapter 3: Thicker Than Water

**Well, after debating with myself on writing this chapter now or later, the "now" finally won. And thanks to all of you for the reviews and the wishes for safe travels! The concert was amazing! (So, NY, your friend was in no possible way lying at all.) And one thing I would like to share from the concert was that Keith Urban said that if you wanted to sing, stand up and dance and totally annoy the person behind you, that that concert was the place to do it. My favorite part going along with that was he said if you were standing up and dancing and the person behind you yelled at you to sit down – like they **_**always**_** do, so it seems – that you should just turn around and say, "Stand up!" I laughed so hard…. Anyways, enough about my experiences and on to the real chapter, eh? Oh, and just a little tiny note: the first section of this chapter is in first-person, as I felt it necessary to really convey that part of this chapter fully. ;)**

**~ Chapter Three: Thicker Than Water ~**

I sighed quietly, leaning back as Amber slept on soundly, leaning in to my side.

_You're a damned liar, Mac Taylor,_ I scolded myself silently. That morning when Danny and Don had been talking to me had nagged at me ever since my talk with Jo.

I closed my eyes, remembering six years of mentally fighting with myself in vivid detail.

"_Rachel," I breathed, pulling back from her._

_She had a hand on the back of my neck and I didn't try to pull back as she kissed me again. I learned the hard way what happened when I didn't play along. After all this time, it was seriously not worth the strict punishment._

"_Rachel," I repeated, my hands on her shoulders._

_Her dark green eyes finally met mine. "What is it?" she asked, looking concerned as she placed a hand on my shoulder._

_I looked her up and down like she was a bit crazy. "Are you alright?" I asked. I had noticed she seemed a bit different for a while now._

_She stared back at me for a moment before smiling and I chuckled a little nervously as she laughed, leaving me wondering what the hell was going on and not liking this any more than I usually did._

"_Mac… I'm pregnant."_

_My eyes went wide. "What?" I asked, blinking as I tried to wrap my head around this news._

_Rachel laughed and she pulled me back for another kiss, once again leaving me to firmly yell at myself mentally to not pull back from her. I did grab her wrists lightly, however._

"_You're what?" I asked again when she finally pulled back and we both could breathe again._

_She laughed again. "I'm pregnant, Mac!" she repeated, looking happily at me._

_Here was where I gritted my teeth and faked an overjoyed smile. Apparently my acting skills were a lot better than I thought they were._

And I jolted myself back to the present, looking back to little Amber at my side. She had Rachel's eyes, but my attitude, if such a thing could be said. In truth, she had more of my inner attitude. On the outside, I knew I often acted like a total jackass, but Amber was something else…

And I sighed again. My little girl… brought in to the world thanks to someone else's decision to put me through six years of hell, yet so perfect in my eyes…

It was really hard to believe that I despised her mother deep down and she had never really been close to her mother.. And in all honestly, Amber knew just how much me and her mother didn't get along and she also knew I wasn't anywhere near her mother by choice. The memory of how Amber had found out her mother was so wicked made me cringe.

Rachel had been particularly drunk when she stumbled back to where we'd been staying and Amber had been about two and half years old. Rachel and Lilly's guys had roughly grabbed my hands and tied them behind my back and held me down as Rachel and Lilly took out their anger – about what I still have no idea about – on me.

I hadn't learned until later that Amber had seen the whole thing through the cracked door.

I shook my head, trying to unscramble the past six years of my life from the more truthful memories of a long career in the Marines and in the NYPD.

What the hell was I anymore? A Marine? Yeah, 'cause once a Marine, always a Marine.

But was I a CSI? Was I even the same man?

I frowned. No. I wasn't the same man. I at least didn't feel like the same man.

I found myself gazing out the window of the hospital room to the Manhattan skyline. I felt like I'd seen too much of the wrong side of the badge to be the same man, to be the same detective.

No one ever said the train of Life was an easy one to ride, and I wasn't asking for it to be easy, but right at that moment… I felt like I was looking down an entirely black tunnel with no idea on if there was a track even ahead of me or if there was turns or a hill or a drop that I wasn't aware of.

Talk about derailed.

**ooOOoo**

Danny jerked away at the loud noise from the computer, realizing he'd dosed off. He fixed his glasses and looked at the screen.

Thank God! It was about time he had answers from the DNA sample from the hospital.

He squinted and frowned as he read over the screen once… twice… a third time.

"Oh – my – God," he muttered, eyes going wide with realization.

He mindlessly reached for the printout of his results, readjusting his glasses one last time and looking down at the ink on the sheet of paper as if it might be providing a different answer than the computer.

He looked back up, finally getting his mind to accept the idea. "Holy shit… Mac _was_ lying."

He abandoned the chair in the DNA lab and raced out to the hallway, looking first towards the elevators and then up towards Jo's office, spotting Hawkes coming towards him.

"Hawkes!" he yelled, jogging to meet Hawkes.

Hawkes looked up at him, a strange look of what Danny could only call a mix of confusion and interest forming on his face. "What'd you find out?"

Danny handed him the paper the computer had printed out. "Mac was lying!" he said, still struggling a bit with the idea that he'd been right about Mac not telling him and Don the total truth.

Hawkes's eyes went wide as he read over the sheet and he looked up at Danny. "You sure about this?" he asked.

Danny nodded. "Yeah," he confirmed. He and Hawkes held each other's gaze for a moment before saying in unison,

"Mac's her father!"

"Did you tell Don?" Hawkes asked as they suddenly broke in to an almost dead run for the elevators.

Danny shook his head as they stopped by the elevators and he jammed the 'down' button. "Nope."

"Then we gotta tell him!" Hawkes said, still with a look of disbelief frozen on his face.

Danny nodded and looked seriously back at Hawkes. "And we need to talk to Mac."

Hawkes met his gaze evenly and nodded in agreement. "Yeah… and we need to find out what really happened these past six years."


	4. Chapter 4: As A Team

**This has got to be some kind of new personal record… Four chapters in about a week? What the heck is this? Oh… right… it's a **_**story…**_** Hmm… although, I think all of you owe tlh45 some serious thanks, 'cause her reviews kept me writing this fast! XD Anywhooo, thank all of you for the awesome reviews! I had no idea this story would get such likes from all of you! In that case, best to not keep you waiting any longer then…**

**~ Chapter Four: "As A Team." ~**

"Whoa… you two look like you just saw a ghost or something," Don said, hands up as Hawkes and Danny skidded to a stop in front of him, looking like they were about ready to collide with the homicide detective and each other.

"Might as well have," Hawkes said, by now looking at least ten times more organized than Danny.

Danny handed Don the print out results from the computer. "DNA Sample from the girl we found with Mac," he said.

Don looked down at the paper Danny had handed him, and Hawkes started on an explanation, "Danny ran the sample to try and figure out who her father was. Those results confirm what he was thinking."

Don looked up at Danny. "You're telling me Mac's that girl's father?"

Danny nodded. "That's exactly what I'm telling you."

"Then Mac lied," Don said, frowning and looking back to the paper.

Danny looked about ready to launch in to another extravagant series of sentences when Hawkes interrupted, "Why don't you let me talk to him?"

Don and Danny both looked at him and Hawkes nearly rolled his eyes. "Look, you two doing the whole 'interrogation 101' on him isn't going to help. Just let me talk with him," he said.

"Alright, I'll give you credit there," Don muttered. "He's with Amber in room 1012, alright?"

Hawkes nodded. "Thanks. I'll call when I'm on my way back."

**ooOOoo**

Hawkes showed up at the hospital only a short while later and headed for 1012, like Don had told him. When he walked in, Amber was sitting on the edge of the bed working on some kind of a picture as Mac watched her.

He looked up when Hawkes closed the door and offered a smile. "Hey," he greeted, giving a nod to the chair in the room to indicate he was welcome to sit down if he wanted to.

"Good to see you again, Mac," Hawkes told him, returning the smile.

Hawkes and Mac exchanged a look that told Mac this was a talk he was going to want to excuse Amber from.

He quickly told her to go find the nurse again and she scooted off the bed and raced in to the hall with a smile, remembering to close the door behind herself.

Mac looked back to Hawkes. "What's up?"

"Danny ran the DNA Sample from Amber."

It was clear to Hawkes that's all he had to say to Mac for the former detective to realize what was going on because Mac looked right down at his hands.

"Hey," Hawkes said, making Mac look back at him, looking like a guilty teenager busted by a teacher. "I'm not here to judge, Mac. I just think Danny and Don want to know why you just didn't tell them."

Mac took a deep breath. "What was I supposed to tell them?" he pointed out, looking over at Hawkes. "That I spent the last six years with two girls who couldn't keep their hands off of me and the act of rape got one of them pregnant which made her my daughter?"

Hawkes let out a sigh and sat back. "No. That's why I came alone to talk to you. I know Don and Danny are a little stressed by this, and I didn't want to put any more pressure on you," he said calmly.

Mac examined the young doctor for a moment, seemingly trying to figure out if his words were genuine before he looked back to his hands. "I know… I shouldn't have snapped."

"You didn't do anything wrong, Mac," Hawkes countered, looking back at Mac.

"You know… I thought about running those first two years?" Mac said, looking back up to the window, still open to the view of the Manhattan skyline. "But these past four I just couldn't do it… not with Amber."

Hawkes looked over at him, nodding in understanding. "You wanted to make sure she was safe."

Mac nodded and looked back over at Hawkes. "Damn right I did. I knew exactly what those men were capable of and I didn't want Rachel doing what she'd done with me to Amber. Amber's too young… She shouldn't know half the things that she does, but she learned quickly," he said with a sigh, shaking his head. "Those first two years I thought about it, but they always had someone to keep tabs on what the hell I was up to. There I didn't have a real opportunity, and then these past four years I just turned a blind eye to my chances."

Hawkes nodded silently, trying to wrap his head around about all of the things he'd heard today having to do with these past six years. By the time he finally found something to say, Mac was already looking at him again.

"You did the right thing, Mac."

Mac nodded. "I didn't exactly have a choice, and even if I did I would've staid. It wasn't like I would've made it that far anyways. I'd spent two years trying to just survive in the new life I was living. I honestly thought it wouldn't make a difference by then. I honest to God didn't know what I'd be running to if I made it out," he said, nodding and looking like he was in a whole other time zone. He looked back up to meet Hawkes's gaze evenly. "I had no idea if I'd ever be able to work CSI again. I still don't. It's been six years since I've worked a standard-issue weapon, and I barely remember all those damn cases this team did. Hell, I barely remember getting shot!"

"Take it easy, Mac," Hawkes said, laying a hand on Mac's arm and looking at the older man with a worried expression.

Mac bit at his lip and looked like he'd barely noticed Hawkes laying a hand on his arm, but he still looked back at him after a moment. "What the hell am I doing anymore?" he asked.

Hawkes sighed and sat back again. He shook his head a bit. "What the hell are any of us doing anymore?" he pointed out.

Mac nodded. "I've not the slightest idea," he said with a sigh.

Hawkes nodded. "Then I guess that means we gotta figure it out together."

Mac nodded again, looking over at Hawkes again. "As a team?" he asked knowingly.

Hawkes smiled slightly and nodded. "As a team," he confirmed, "As a team."


	5. Chapter 5: Catching Up

**Whoa… totally liking this new look for the site so far. XD I promise I'm trying to type this story as fast as possible! So, on with Chapter Five!**

**~ Chapter Five: Catching Up ~**

"Oh, come back here, you little bundle of trouble!" Mac called Amber back to him with a smirk playing across his features.

"But it's just so _big!_" Amber exclaimed, racing back to Mac's side as he stood in the hallway behind his office in the crime lab. It was the morning after Don and Danny had found him with Amber.

Mac chuckled. "Yeah, well… this is where _I_ used to work every day," he told her.

Amber smiled as she leaned in to him and he put an arm around her shoulders. "Uncle Sheldon says you were a CSI. What's that mean, daddy?" she asked, looking up at him with curiosity gleaming in her emerald green eyes.

Mac smiled softly as he looked back down at her. "CSI… It stands for 'Crime Scene Investigator.' I was a detective with NYPD," he told her.

Amber nodded, looking out the enormous window to the city visible in the bright morning's light perfectly. It was _gigantic!_ "Can we go to your office?" she asked, looking back up at Mac.

Mac shrugged. "Why not?" he asked, nodding to the clear glass door to his office. They stepped across the hall and he opened the door for her before following her in and finding the light switch.

He took it all in slowly. Everything had its place and it seemed no different than he'd left it that early morning when he'd been taken.

The unsolved cases were down to two files stacked on top of each other on the top of his desk and the gold plate with his name on it still stood silently at the front of his desk.

But that rank sounded rather unfamiliar to him. He hadn't been addressed formerly for ages…

_DETECTIVE MAC TAYLOR_

He took the first file from the unsolved cases stack and sank back in to the chair behind his desk, flipping open the file to take a read over the case as Amber tried to look over everything with eyes wide as the Hudson River.

At least… that's how Mac saw it. He smirked softly as he looked back to the case file.

He didn't remember this case… a young girl… Bridget Farley… Cause of Death listed by Sid as Blunt Force Trauma to the head and Time of Death listed at around 11 pm on December 9th, 2013.

He frowned. Hadn't that been only about a month after he went missing? Hell… he didn't know.

Amber had plopped herself down on the couch now, gaze fixed on the picture sitting in the back of the office.

"Is that you, daddy?"

Mac looked at his daughter over the top of the file and then followed her gaze to the picture of him in his Marines uniform. Looking at it now, he barely recognized himself in the photo.

"Yup," he said, sitting the file down on his desk. "In the Marines, like my daddy," he told her, a slight and soft smile tugging at the corner of his lips since his little girl asked.

Amber looked back at him curiously. "Marines?" she asked. She then smiled a little, her smile slowly growing wider the longer she sat there.

Mac had to smile fully now. She really did crack him up sometimes. "You bet," he told her.

Amber now looked a little shyly at her hands. She quickly recovered though, looking just like the usual energetic four year old Mac knew her to be.

"When is Uncle Sheldon coming back?" she asked, looking back at him.

Mac checked his watch. "Should be back from the scene soon with Danny."

Amber grinned. "Yeah!" she exclaimed with a giggle, running over to him.

Mac smirked. "You want up here?" he asked, looking at her like he had no idea what she was asking for.

Amber nodded and gave him a look. "Duh!" she said, grinning.

Mac smirked again. "Alright, I _guess_ you can," he said, picking her up in his arms and sitting her on his lap.

Amber's grin grew wider. (If that was even possible at this point… Mac had no clue.) She looked over her shoulder at him. "I love you, daddy."

Mac smiled softly. "I love you too, princess."

Sheldon joined them momentarily, smiling when he saw Amber comfortably seated in Mac's lap as the former detective leaned comfortably back in the chair, looking rather at ease compared to when he'd last talked to him in the hospital.

Mac was back at attention pretty quickly though. "Hey," he greeted with a smile.

Amber whipped her head around with a huge grin and darted off Mac's lap to give Sheldon a hug.

"Hey!" Sheldon exclaimed with a grin as he returned the mostly unexpected hug from the four year old. "Almost thought he was gonna leave you stuck in the truck!" he added with a grin, shooting a teasing glance at Mac.

Mac rolled his eyes. "Six years and I still can't get you guys to stop riding my ass," he muttered with a smile, playing along.

Sheldon smirked. "Welcome back to the land of the living," he said, standing.

Mac smiled fully now, standing. "Good to be here. I see you guys kept up with our unsolved cases," he said, picking up the file he'd been reading for Sheldon to see before he laid it back in its place at the corner of his desk.

Sheldon nodded. "Fresh eyes are sometimes the only thing you need," he said with a shrug.

Mac nodded. "We can talk with Sinclair about that later. Firstly, we need to talk with the team," he said.

Sheldon nodded. "Deal."

Mac nodded again. "Great, let's get this done."

**ooOOoo**

"Would you let the man talk already?" Lindsay scolded, shooting a glare in Danny's direction and posed to throw her pen at him.

Danny grinned. "Yeah. Go ahead, Mac," he said, turning his attention away from his wife to look at Mac.

Mac smirked. "It's appreciated." He then turned his attention to his entire team. "It's been a hell of a long time since I've gotten to talk to you all, but I figured my talk with Sinclair was way less important," he started.

"He's still got burrs up his ass, so I'd be careful in that territory," Jo warned with a frown.

Mac shook his head. "I'm not surprised to hear he does," he muttered. He looked back to his team and took a deep breath. "By now, you've all met Amber, but I'm not sure the whole of you heard what Danny found out through a test of her DNA."

The few team members that hadn't heard this story now looked at Mac with interest. Lindsay shot a questioning look at Danny and Adam stopped fiddling with his pen nervously to finally fix a fully focused look on Mac. Sheldon stood in the back with Sid. Sid had since heard from Sheldon the story from his talk at the hospital, so that left literally about two members of Mac's team that he was addressing. That was… if you didn't count Lovato, who was currently working back at the precinct. (Don could tell her later…)

It brought Mac to ponder why he'd asked everyone to be there… but he kicked that thought to the curb and took another deep breath.

"Amber's my daughter. She was born two years after I first went missing."

Adam dropped his pen and Lindsay simply stared back at him. Mac sat back and let them try to process that, calmly looking around at the rest of his team. He was just on the edge of betting he knew what every single one of them wanted to know.

But he wasn't ready to talk about that. Not yet at least.

"But… she's Rachel's kid?" Adam finally broke the silence, having picked up his pen again.

Mac nodded. "Yeah," he said.

Lindsay's eyes were wide with realization and Mac quickly jumped to saying, "I don't want anyone thinking it's their fault. You all know that's not true."

Adam and Lindsay exchanged a look, realizing they were the only two that hadn't known. Lindsay turned to Danny. "Why didn't you tell me?"

Danny held his hands up. "Hawkes wanted to talk with him and we all thought it best to let him tell the rest of you," he said.

Sid took a deep breath from the back of the room. "If we're all reasonable, we shouldn't have expected anything less from him," he pointed out, making the rest of them look back at him.

Even Mac looked at him and the medical examiner and the former CSI locked eyes, sharing a look that evidently told one another their friendship still stood just as strong.

Sheldon nodded from beside Sid, not missing the look between Mac and Sid. "We all know how hard it is for something like this to be said. We should be just glad to have him back alright."

Jo was also nodding and looked at Mac with what Mac could almost call a deepened and newly found level of respect.

Mac looked at her, Amber stealing his chair after he'd stood. He held Jo's gaze for a moment longer before he looked back to his team. "I say me and Sheldon have our talk with Sinclair, see where it takes us, and we should all meet at the bar for drinks later. How's that sound?" he asked, smiling a bit.

Danny was the first one to grin. "Sounds like a plan!"

Don chuckled. "Count me in, too!"

The rest of the team also agreed quickly and Mac looked back to Jo. "Are you sure Ellie's ok with spending the night with Amber? I hate to leave her with it –"

"She insisted on it, Mac Taylor," Jo told him with a knowing smile. "And she's as stubborn as you sometimes. I should know."

Mac smiled. "Then that's settled. We'll see you guys later," he said, walking over to Sheldon who was now waiting for him at the glass doors leading back in to the lab.

"Good luck with him," Jo told him.

Mac smiled a bit and looked back over at her. "Hopefully I won't need it."

Jo simply smiled softly and watched him head down the hall towards the elevators, talking with Sheldon.

It was true. She was real glad he was back. But she still had questions…

What on Earth had happened these past years exactly? That was something she'd need to find out. But not just yet. It was too soon for him and she knew it. She wasn't one to push her friends, and she still saw him as a hell of a friend.

She'd wait until he was ready. Besides, she knew him to be a man to not talk until he was ready, and trying to get it out of him early wasn't going to do anyone any good.


	6. Chapter 6: Battle Ready

**So, I got off sick today, (Not too happy, but not all that sad either, to be honest…) hence this being done through my day… Not a bad thing though, is it?**

**~ Chapter Six: Battle Ready ~**

Sheldon stepped in to Sinclair's office in front of Mac and the chief looked up at both of them.

"Ah! You two made it," he said, beckoning them over to take a seat.

Mac stood where he was for a moment in stunned silence. Any other time he'd tried to talk with the chief he'd always been greeted with something along the lines of, "Oh… Taylor. It's you. What do you want now?"

Believe it or not, he still hesitated to forgive Sinclair and Gerrard for riding his ass over Dobson's death. That had stung and Mac didn't like forgive too easily on things like that. Especially when he didn't quite like the person involved in the first place.

Regardless, he and Sheldon had a seat.

"I hear you want to dive right back in, Taylor?" Sinclair asked, looking at the two men in front of him.

"I believe it's for the best, sir," Mac said. "It's been six years, but I'd like to be able to keep doing my job. I didn't sign up to just quit out of the blue."

Sinclair nodded and leaned back in his chair, looking at Mac, who by now had crossed one of his legs over his other, and then at Sheldon. "What's your thoughts?" he asked, looking at Sheldon only now.

Sheldon looked a bit taken by surprise. Truth was… neither him nor Mac were all that prepared for this line of questioning. They hadn't exactly figured out answers.

"If Mac says he's ready, he's ready," Sheldon finally said, looking at Sinclair. "I think we all know he's capable of making his own choices just like the rest of us."

Mac listened, but not all that intently. For some reason, he remembered in vivid detail being in this very office while Gerrard and Sinclair had been discussing his case with Dobson's death when he walked in and slammed down the truth from Dobson's first arrest.

If it hadn't been for Truby, Mac wouldn't have been on the force this long anyways. Yes, Mac had arrested Truby for being a dirty cop, but no, Mac wouldn't say he hated the man. Truby had admitted he knew what he did was wrong and said he'd do his time. He'd also helped Mac get his back off the wall.

And Mac hated that feeling. But it had become quite familiar to him over the past six years. He swore that feeling suffocated him at times. He _hated_ that.

"Can I have a moment?"

The question brought Mac's full attention to the present and he looked over at Sheldon.

Clearly that question had been directed at Sheldon and not himself.

"I'll be alright," he told Sheldon quietly with a nod.

Sheldon hesitated for a moment longer before he nodded himself, standing and leaving Mac alone with the chief.

Almost as soon as he heard the door close, Mac started to regret it. But he didn't show it, and instead he turned his full attention back to Sinclair. "Something on your mind that can't be said in front of my team?" he asked.

Sinclair nodded. "What the hell happened to you?"

"What kind of question is that? Have you not read the case file?" Mac challenged. "I was kidnapped six years ago and that's what the hell happened. I thought you would know what the hell happened with your own detectives," he added, arms folded across his chest with an almost dangerous look fixed on Sinclair.

"Take it easy, Taylor. I know you've been missing for the past six years, thank you very much. I'm asking what happened during those six years. And don't tell me nothing, because we both know that isn't true," Sinclair said calmly, meeting Mac's dangerous looking gaze evenly.

Mac sighed, unfolding his arms to play with the band still around his wrist from when he'd been admitted to the hospital. "You've heard about my daughter?"

Sinclair nodded. "Amber," he said.

Mac took a deep breath. "There's more to it than that, though," he admitted, looking back up at Sinclair. "Before they took me, they operated more as a small trafficking ring. Drugs and humans seemed to be their specialty, if you asked for my personal opinion. They didn't have any real connections and didn't exactly make any money off their human exchanges – that's why I'd hesitate to call it Human Trafficking."

Sinclair listened with interest. "What are you saying?"

"Kidnap someone, use them for your pleasures and let 'em slide. No one really wants to talk about it afterwards, especially when they have their family threatened while they have a gun in their face," Mac said, a distant look in his eyes now as he frowned a bit. His one hand still fiddled with the band. He found the action calming for one reason he didn't quite understand.

"Is that what happened to you?" Sinclair asked.

Mac blinked, looking like he was back with Sinclair in the office fully now. "No. Danny and Don finding me was just a hell of a lot of luck. It took them about a year and a half to figure out they didn't want anyone else. Rachel and Lilly were satisfied, not to mention Rachel got pregnant with Amber. They couldn't take on any more than they could handle and I already told you they weren't a large professional group by any means," he said.

Sinclair nodded and Mac looked back up at him. "Are you suggesting that they could be after you again?" Sinclair asked.

Mac shrugged. "Entirely possible. They don't want anything to do with Amber. The kid being off their hands is a breath of relief for them, but I'd bet money on the fact that they're not happy I'm back in the light of day," he said.

Sinclair studied for him for a moment. "Are you certain you want back on full active duty?"

"What the hell kind of question is that?" Mac responded, but there was a slight smile tugging at the corners of his lips. "Sir, there's always people who want me dead. It's been that way for years. If you think for one minute that I'm going to let Rachel looking for me again is going to keep me hiding in the shadows of the sidelines, then you don't know me at all and you need to pack your bags," he said, standing. He wasn't smiling anymore as he looked directly at Sinclair. "I've heard it all, Sir. From being accused of murder to being held hostage with a gun to my head to a damn stalker trying to avenge his girlfriend's death. I think I'm capable of dealing with this, Sir. You can take the Marine out of a battle, but you can't take the battle out of the Marine. I thought you knew that about me by now."

He finally stopped there, looking right at Sinclair. "Are we done here?" he asked.

Sinclair nodded, studying Mac for a moment longer. "Yeah. I'll get you fixed up and you're back on duty. Welcome back to the NYPD, Detective Taylor."

Mac nodded. "My pleasure, Sir."

And with that, Mac spun on his heels and headed for the door, not turning back to look at Sinclair again.

**ooOOoo**

"What happened in there?" Sheldon asked as they headed back down the hall together.

"I did what I needed to do. I'm back on duty," Mac replied, looking over at Sheldon with a small smile.

Sheldon smiled a bit. "What'd you tell him?"

"'Once a Marine, always a Marine' is the basic statement, I believe," Mac said, allowing himself a bigger smile now.

Sheldon shook his head, smiling. "I should've known."

Mac looked over at him. "What's that supposed to mean?"

Sheldon looked over at him, still smiling. "It's just really good to have you back, Mac," he said, giving Mac a pat on the back.

Mac grinned. "And it's good to be back with you all on this end as well."

"Then what are we waiting for? Let's find these guys," Sheldon pointed out.

Mac chuckled. "I'm in. Let's get back to the lab and see what we can't do before the day goes out."


	7. Chapter 7: War Strategies

**Ahh… the best thing about being home sick is that I have the eight hours of usually learning things in school to relax, do nothing at all really, listen to music all day, play games, but most importantly… write Fanfiction! Thanks to all of you! You guys are awesome and these two chapters in the same day are for you! All of you are so kind and it's so great to hear from you in your reviews! So I thank you all again! –TheDeep**

**~ Chapter Seven: War Strategies ~**

"Shut the hell up, Sam!" Rachel snarled, throwing an empty bottle from last night's drinking spell at the tall, dark-haired man.

Sam managed to dodge the flying bottle just in time so that the empty bottle shattered against the wall. "Why the hell are we doing this again?" he grumbled, plopping down beside Jack.

Jack took a long drink from his bottle of beer. "Because he made the girls happy. Happy girls equals nice paycheck," he reminded Sam.

"Exactly, now shut the fuck up! Both of you!" Lilly growled before taking another draw of a cigarette she held lightly between her fingers.

"Didn't Ray say Taylor was back at the lab with his little science friends?"

"CSIs?" Sam chimed.

"What-fuckin'-ever they are, I don't give a damn!" Rachel snarled again, spinning around to face the men. "No one asked for your opinion, dumbass!"

Sam rolled his eyes and stood, heading off to find himself a drink. He was gonna need a lot more of them with the way Rachel and Lilly were looking now.

"And yes, Ray did say that," Jack answered finally.

"Thank you!" Rachel finally said, racing a hand through her hair. "Find a time when he's alone. I don't give a damn when it is, but he's back here with us, got it?"

Jack nodded and finished his bottle off quickly. "I'll call Ray and we'll handle it tonight sometime." He flashed a wicked smile. "How would you like him?" he asked.

"Hog tied for all I care," Rachel growled. "Make him remember who the fuck he's playing with."

Jack grinned. "That's my specialty, baby," he said.

Rachel grinned and joined him on the couch. "I know it is, and that's what I love about you," she said.

Jack smiled as she pulled him closer and gave him a quick kiss. "I know I can count on you to make them do their jobs right."

Jack smiled a bit and nodded. "You know my policies. Anyone who tries to back out or runs their course of use pays with a bullet between eyes at point blank."

Rachel smiled and gave him a pat on the shoulder. "That's my man," she said as she stood.

Jack simply smiled. "Always, dear Rachel."

He then whipped out his phone and stood, heading off to call Ray and set up the deal for the night.

**ooOOoo**

"Alright, let's start with what we know," Mac said, clapping his hands together as he stood beside Danny. Adam was at the computer as they stood in the A/V Lab.

"Alright, so a valid Missing Persons case can't be open until 48 hours after the person goes missing, making the date when we didn't see you at the lab roughly November 7th, 2013," Adam said.

Mac nodded as he looked over the screen as Adam quickly tapped away, pulling up virtual records of the investigation his team had performed regarding his disappearance six years earlier.

"Your Avalanche was found in Midtown, so they probably took you around there," Danny said, stopping Adam for a moment as he pulled up the 'crime scene photos' to indicate the several shots of the Avalanche they had.

Mac nodded. "Any trace or evidence collected from the truck?" he asked.

It was all a bit of a jumbled mess in his mind. He frowned as he tried to unscramble the pieces of the puzzle in his mind.

It had been dark… he'd had the headlights on… but why through Midtown? Why had he been heading through Midtown?

The long way back to his place? He looked back to the screen, taking in all the photos his team had from their investigation.

And it laid out like a virtual map of the scene in his mind's eye.

His cell phone several feet in front of the Avalanche, the driver's side door open and the key still in the ignition. The lights were still on.

Tread marks. Wheel base indicating an SUV or something similar. He guessed a Tahoe… a black Chevy Tahoe…

Yes! That was it! A black Chevy Tahoe! The first two numbers of the license plate were A and R.

He remembered a struggle. Notes in the file showed that his team saw signs of a struggle.

Blood spatter on the hood. Someone had been hit. Not matches in CODIS.

He'd hit Jack… He'd hit Jack across the face and given him a bloody nose…

And then Ray had grabbed his hands from behind and used his handcuffs to keep it that way. And there was that third guy… What the hell was his name?

By now Mac was pacing, his mind racing fast as he chewed at his lip. Then it hit him.

"Ray, Jack, and Sam!" he exclaimed, snapping his fingers as he stopped in the middle of the lab. Adam and Danny looked at him, obviously startled by this.

"Who are they?" Adam asked.

"They were the men. Rachel and Lilly hired them to help them with their operations. They were the ones who took me that morning," Mac said.

Danny nodded. "You worked a late shift, didn't you?" he asked, starting to remember a bit about leaving and remembering Mac saying about a long shift.

Mac nodded. "I left the lab around 2 in the morning," he said. He looked back at Adam. "And you guys had no security footage from this?" he asked.

Danny and Adam both shook their heads. "No NYPD cameras in the area and no shops had working cameras at the time," Danny said.

Mac nodded, chewing at his lip again. "They probably planned that," he muttered. "Do you still have the Avalanche?"

Danny nodded. "Of course. It's been sitting in the Impound Lot for these past six years. We kept going back to it, but we couldn't find anything new."

Mac nodded. "Pull it out in the garage. I think I can tell you what happened that night."

**ooOOoo**

Mac looked down at the photos they had from the investigation. "Start the truck," he called over his shoulder.

Adam slipped the key in the ignition, starting the truck.

Mac nodded and looked over his shoulder to check it out. "Headlights were on… the truck was still on and in park…"

He grabbed his cellphone off the table. The device felt odd in his gloved hand and he looked from the photos to the truck and back again before he walked out a few feet from the front end of his truck.

"I dropped my phone here," he said, putting the phone on the floor at his feet.

Danny and Adam watched as he stood up again, looking around and picturing the dark street around him and the truck instead of the garage.

"They had a black Chevy Tahoe. I only saw the first two letters of their plates," he said after a moment, looking back at Danny and Adam. "A and R. And if you check, that should match the measurement of the wheel base you pulled from the treads," he said.

Danny nodded and scratched himself a note about the license plate. He looked back up at Mac. "What else do you remember?"

"I thought I hit him… that's why I stopped," he said, looking back to the front end of his truck. There wasn't a mark on the vehicle besides the blood spatter. "And then I realized what the hell was going on and tried to fight them. Jack came at me first. I punched him across the face and he had a bloody nose after that," he said, stepping back as he put himself back in the street scene he had in his mind's eye and remembering landing the punch across Jack's face. Stepping around his phone and back to the truck, he could see that lined up with the blood on the hood.

He looked back at Danny. "And now you have a DNA sample for comparison to Jack's DNA," he said.

Danny and Adam were both nodding.

"Question is… why you? Did they even know you were a cop?" Adam asked.

"No, no," Mac said, shaking his head. "They didn't even find my badge until they had me in front of Rachel and Lilly back at their hangout."

Adam and Danny exchanged a look as Mac looked back at the two of them. "It wasn't premeditated at all."

Mac nodded. "But as soon as they knew, they asked me if I knew anything on what they were doing. Of course, I didn't, so they just dumped my badge somewhere. Where? I've got no clue; I was tied up for the first night or two. They didn't trust to let me anywhere near Rachel or Lilly those first two nights."

"All the more reason to want you back under lock and key," Danny concluded.

Mac nodded. "You can bet they don't want me talking to you about anything I know about them. They'll be back," he said, pulling off his gloves. "But we're going to be ready for them this time. I want them found before they've got another chance to try and throw us around."

He met the gazes of both Adam and Danny at once. "If there's one thing I know without a doubt, it's that this team is family. And you don't turn your back on family, no matter what the hell they got in to."


	8. Chapter 8: Payback

**Holy cow! You guys got me writing three chapters in a day! Well, you all deserve it! Here's where the fun starts to begin… if such a thing can be said! Hope you continue to enjoy!**

**~ Chapter Eight: Payback ~**

Ray leaned casually back against the brick wall at the corner of the alley, watching the Avalanche approaching several streets down. He pulled his phone.

"_Get ready. I've got his truck in my sights,"_ he said. He hung up and put his phone back in his pocket before dropping his cigarette and snuffing it out with the toe of his boot. He smiled. He was already enjoying this.

**ooOOoo**

"Front right side tire, at least from our perspective," Sam said, peering out the window from his position beside Jake.

"Yeah, I know, I know," Jack muttered. "I got this, now shut the fuck up or I'll miss and he'll be dead before you can say, 'shit'."

He took a moment to aim carefully before he squeezed the trigger, the gun only giving a muted cough because of the silencer.

**ooOOoo**

Mac sighed quietly, stifling a yawn. Being behind the wheel of a truck felt strange. Everything about it was near unfamiliar to him.

_POW!_

His first reaction was an instinctive duck before he fought with the wheel and slammed the breaks.

By the time he got the truck to stop, the tail end had started to swing around, but not quite in a full fishtail.

He got out, feeling unsteady on his feet for an unknown reason and looking down at the flat left side front tire.

And he almost instantly knew what was going on. His hand went to his holster, holding a .40 caliber gun.

But the gun in his face stopped him. His eyes took in the details.

.45 caliber Smith and Wesson – a silver one with a black grip that had a checkerboard pattern.

"Howdy, Detective Taylor."

His eyes focused on the face behind the barrel and he felt like he was facing Death in person. "Ray. Long time no see," he said.

"Damn right, you fucker," Ray growled.

And Sam grabbed his hands roughly from behind him, zip ties already tightening around his wrists.

"Go to hell you son of a bitch!" Mac growled before Sam clamped a hand over his mouth to keep him quiet. Mac fought to get himself free from Sam's grasp even as Ray aimed the .45 caliber gun right between his eyes.

The smile on his face made Mac want to be sick and he finally jerked his head free from Sam's grasp. "You think you're going to get away with this again, Ray? My team found me once, they'll do it again."

"In what? Another six years?" Ray laughed harshly. "Dear, Mac!" he said, slinging an arm over Mac's shoulders as Sam kept a firm hold of his arms, making sure he couldn't get away, "You won't be alive in six years from now!"

By now Jack had joined them and handed Sam a role of ductape. Sam then ripped off a strip which he placed firmly over Mac's mouth.

Mac glared at Ray as the three men chuckled. "Ready boys?" Ray asked.

"I call first dibbs!" Jack called. Mac barely had time to figure out what was going on before Jack slammed a kick in to his ribs.

Through the ductape, he managed a grunt, feeling the breath get knocked out of him. Ray laughed and Sam hauled Mac back to his feet. Ray then landed a healthy punch right across Mac's nose.

"That's for Jack!" he yelled as Sam grunted, trying to keep Mac on his feet as he felt like he wanted to drop to his knees again.

"Nice gun, Detective," Jack said, sliding Mac's .40 caliber out of his holster as he struggled to catch his breath and orient himself again, feeling like Ray had indeed given him a bloody nose. He ignored it though, looking back at Ray with a glare.

"Put him in the truck. Rachel won't be happy if we fuck him up before she gets a chance to fuck with him herself," Ray ordered, Sam moving out of the way as he smacked a hand against Mac's ass.

Mac's head snapped back up and a dead glare fixed right on Ray. That was _too far._

All three men were laughing as Sam roughly shoved Mac in the rear of the Tahoe.

_Fools!_ Mac thought as they slammed the tailgate closed behind him. _Flack has a lookout on trucks like this! How stupid are they?_

But that question didn't soothe his anxiety. Rachel was going to be pissed… and she wasn't going to let him off easy, and neither would Lilly. He closed his eyes as he heard the three men pile in the truck and tried to shut out their laughs and taunts and his aching ribs.

Jack had got him good there. Guess that was his own style of payback.

But he couldn't do this… not for another six years! And what about Amber? He couldn't leave her! And his eyes flew open again, and he reeled in to focus the details of the tailgate of the Tahoe.

She was with Ellie tonight… but it would only take a matter of days for Rachel to snap out and finish what she started with him. He was a dead man walking and he knew it.

_Oh, God… What have I done?_

**ooOOoo**

"Hey mom!" Ellie greeted cheerfully as Jo walked in. Amber looked up as well, grinning at the sight of Jo.

Ellie and Jo shared a mother-daughter hug before Ellie stepped back. "Where's Uncle Mac?" she asked.

"Heading home. I gave him the night to try and get familiar with driving the Avalanche and his place again. I took a cab and loaned him my truck," Jo explained as she pulled her shoes off and hung up her jacket.

Ellie smiled. "How is he?" she asked, turning back to the kitchen to get her mother a drink of water. She figured she'd need it after that time at the bar with the other members of the team.

"Alright. Sheldon got him back on track and he did well with dealing with Sinclair," Jo said, letting her hair long again as she pulled her ponytail holder from her hair, shooting a quick smile at Amber. Amber returned the smile before she returned to her drawing.

"He talked to him _today_?" Ellie asked, leaning back so she could see Jo through the entryway to the kitchen.

Jo smiled a bit and nodded. "Handled it like a seasoned pro, just like I expected him to," she said.

Ellie nodded a bit, offering her mom the glass of water, looking a bit surprised. "I should've known that, shouldn't I have?" she asked.

Jo smiled and accepted the glass. "Maybe. I'm just glad he's back."

Ellie smiled softly and looked over at Amber. "Yeah. It's good to have him back. You weren't the same after he was gone," she said.

Jo looked at her. "Was I?" she asked, a little surprised that Ellie hadn't said something sooner.

Ellie nodded. "I didn't want to say anything because I didn't know what to say."

Jo sighed quietly and pulled her daughter in to another hug. "Oh, Ellie, you don't need to worry about me. We're all fine now, and thanks."

Ellie smiled softly and hugged her back. "No problem, Mom."


	9. Chapter 9: Poker Face

**Hello again! You guys are killing me with all these reviews! Are you serious? Eight chapters and 20 reviews!? Thanks to all of you! It means so much!**

**~ Chapter Nine: Poker Face ~**

"On your feet, Taylor!" Ray growled harshly as Sam dragged Mac from the rear of the Tahoe. Mac stumbled but managed to regain his balance and glared at all of them. They were all assholes, and the day Mac could look at them through bars couldn't come too quickly for him. Not that he would be the first one to jump up and volunteer for seeing them when they were locked up in jail.

Rachel and Lilly were sprawled out smoking a cigarette each on the couch in front of the TV when Jack slammed Mac against the wall, ripping off the ductape. The adhesive didn't want to let go and the tear was rather unforgiving even though Mac refused to let it show.

"Let's start right now!" Jack growled, holding the gun he'd taken from Mac's holster to Mac's head.

"DO IT, YOU SON OF A BITCH!" Mac yelled, meeting Jack's gaze evenly. He wasn't afraid. He didn't know why, but Jack's roughness hadn't fazed him. Yes, his ribs protested against his acts of fighting to get away from the men, but he didn't care.

All he could think about were his team and his daughter. _No,_ they weren't just that. They were his _family_, and blood was indeed thicker than water.

"You won't kill him or I'll fucking shoot your fucking ass right on the spot!" Rachel snarled, cigarette in her fingers and her gun aimed at Jack.

Jack took a step back from Mac and Mac stood up straight again. They both were tense, looking like they were still ready to launch at each other in a pure rage.

"I'll pay all of you kindly tomorrow. But he's my piece of meat. And you'd best be remembering that," Rachel said as she stood and walked slowly over to stand between Mac and Jack.

Ray grumbled something to Jack quickly and the three men left. Lilly soon followed them, leaving Rachel alone with Mac.

He didn't like that one bit, but this was no time to show that.

"What the hell did they do to you, baby?" Rachel asked as she slid her arms around him to untie his hands. Mac didn't miss how she brushed the blade of the knife lightly across his arm, not quite hard enough to make him bleed. She then pushed him against the wall and kissed him.

Mac put his hands on his shoulders, trying to resist the urge to fight her with his mind already racing.

He didn't like the way she pressed herself against him in any way, shape, or form. Regardless, this was familiar from six years past, and he let her explore as she wished.

When he found her going too far for his comfort, he stopped, pulling back from her and grabbing her wrist just as he felt her fingers graze his skin under his shirt.

She stopped, looking at him. "Damn, I missed that," she murmured, pulling off a seductive smile.

"Rachel… I don't know what you think happened that morning – but"

"Shhh!" Rachel silenced him, laying two fingers against his lips. She looked like she'd just realized his bloody nose. She took a moment to examine this before she continued, "I know exactly what happened, Mac Taylor. You went with them."

"I didn't have a choice," he said, playing her game right back in her face. All he needed to do was convince her that he wasn't just trying to save his ass and that he actually shared her feelings for him and he might be able to escape without the team's help.

Although he was thinking he'd need all the help he could get.

"Fuck your sorry ass if you think you didn't have a choice!" Rachel growled as she slapped him hard across the face.

Mac couldn't resist a flinch no matter how much he wanted to.

"You're a lying-ass mother fucker, aren't you Taylor?" she growled, grabbing the collar of his shirt.

"Rachel! – Rachel!" he tried to stop her.

"Shut the hell up and let me kiss you, you fucker," Rachel told him, ignoring his protests and pushing him against the wall as she kissed him again.

This time, Mac didn't give a damn. He was through with this and he grabbed her arm roughly, managing to push her back off of him enough so that he could get away from her.

But a quick sweep of the room told him he had nowhere to go, so he ended up just standing there, glaring at Rachel.

Rachel was obviously nearly beyond the point of caring what happened with him as she pulled her gun.

Mac just watched her, holding his hands up. "Go ahead," he growled. "I'm right here. And I'm obviously not going anywhere."

He watched as Rachel hesitated longer. "Do it!" he yelled. "You want me dead! Get it the hell over with!"

"Go to hell, Taylor!" Rachel growled and she advanced on him, grabbing his hands when she was close enough.

Mac didn't move. He wasn't going to let her win, at least not like this. Let her do what she wished if that's what it took. He was _not_ going to let her see how much he hated her being so close to him. Doing that would be letting her win entirely.

He remembered feeling the adrenaline race through his veins when one of his family had their life hanging in the balance. That adrenaline was what pumped his fear and his courage all at once.

What had Stella said? 'Courage is being the only one that knows you're afraid'?

He'd take a bullet for any of them, and he still would. Nothing would change that.

So he let Rachel snake her arms around his neck as she kissed him, listened as she told him if he didn't cooperate, she'd kill them all.

He believed her, too. She would send Ray, Jack, and Sam after them all. And she would have them killed one by one, and she'd make sure he got to see it all happen.

He closed his eyes and the only thing he heard in that moment was one shaky breath escape his lungs and he felt the sharp blade of Rachel's knife against his throat.

"Let's get you somewhere a little more private, you son of a bitch. I'll make you pay for your games, and you can bet your _life_ on it, Taylor."

**ooOOoo**

"Are you certain you didn't just call the wrong number?" Ellie asked, trying to soothe her worried mother.

Amber was by now asleep in the spare room and Jo was now worried. Mac had promised he'd call her once he was at his place to let her know he made it safely.

"I double checked beforehand," Jo told her, showing Ellie her phone.

Ellie examined the number and confirmed that she had definitely called Mac's new cell number. Sinclair had been generous enough to both get him a new service weapon _and_ phone. (Not that any of them would've let the chief get away without doing it. That _may_ or _may not _have anything to do with why Sinclair had it done so fast…)

Ellie sighed, feeling worried herself now. Jo had told her that Mac said that the people who'd taken him six years ago could very well be after him again. It scared her to think about what his current situation could be since he hadn't answered his phone.

Just as she was about to try to say something to comfort her mother, the phone rang. Caller ID said it was Mac's number.

Jo answered quickly. _"Mac? Oh my God, you scared the hell out of me! I thought something happened…"_

"_We're going to have to make a rain check on your plans with Detective Taylor, Miss Danville."_

Jo's eyes went wide as she listened to the cruel voice. _"What the hell have you done with him?"_

"_Nothing… yet."_ The next time she heard the voice, it sounded farther away from the phone than before. _"Don't disappoint, Detective Taylor. Your friend's listening."_

"_Go to hell you bitch!"_

Now Jo's breath caught in her throat. That was Mac… There was no way she could mistake his voice.

She thought she heard more yelling before the girl that had first answered yelled something like, "Shut the hell up!" and then a gunshot.

And dead silence for a few seconds…

_Click!_

Jo didn't even realize her grip had loosened on the phone and Ellie caught it as the device slipped from her hands.

"Mom?" Ellie asked, looking like she was on the verge of tears as she grabbed her mother's arm to steady her. "What happened? What did they do to him?"

Jo barely heard her daughter. "Oh… God," she murmured, feeling like she was going to choke on the words before she sank to the floor fully and hid her face in her hands, feeling warm tears prick at her eyes and quickly race down her cheeks.

"Mom!" Ellie pleaded, kneeling down in front of her. "What did they do?"

Jo forced herself to look at her daughter between her hands. She opened her mouth, but no sound would come out and she simply shook her head and took a deep breath.

"Call Don… Call Don and I'll call Adam," she said after a moment, finding her voice again and feeling anger start to rival her feeling of fear in the pit of her stomach. "I want to know where that call came from _now!_"


	10. Chapter 10: Crossroads

**Hahaha! Cliffy, eh? I know… none of you find that amusing… except for me, of course. I even told my friend I was leaving that last chapter as a cliffhanger and told her exactly how I wrote it and she said, "Ha! Your followers are going to **_**kill**_** you! And then Mac'll have to find your body!" Lol… her and I got a good kick out of that, as you can probably tell… And a little sorry in advance. This is the shortest of the chapters as of current, but I saw it as a good place to leave off. ;)**

**~ Chapter Ten: Crossroads ~**

He looked with wide eyes at her, not realizing he was holding his breath.

She looked back at him and he watched as she looked blankly at the blood on her hands before she collapsed on the floor.

What the hell had just happened? He stared down at the gun in his hands and he dropped it, taking two steps back to lean back against the wall, his eyes fixed on his shaking hands. He finally let out that breath shakily, nearly coughing it out as he stared at her…

He hadn't fired a gun in six years. Six years… Six years since he'd killed someone in self-defense.

He looked to her and then at the phone. Then his gaze returned to her body once more..

He hesitated before he walked over, kneeling down at her side to check for a pulse.

Nothing. He found _nothing_. Dead eyes and no pulse. Rachel was dead. And he'd shot her.

He had to brace himself with one of his hands firmly laid on the floor as he felt the world around him sway for a moment. Shaking his head, he stood, grabbing the phone. Who had she called?

Checking the recent calls list, Jo's number was displayed in those strange white roman numerals. His eyes went wide again. "Jo…" he breathed. Without a second thought, he hit the 'call back' button as his eyes found the gun on the floor again.

His heart was pounding in his chest as he stood there, trying to steady his breathing and closing his eyes as he let the ringing of the phone soothe his adrenaline.

That adrenaline he knew from before he was taken… Of feet pounding on the pavement and an identification yell and an order to stop, of being face to face with touchy suspects that were shifty and wanted to make a run for it although they knew he was quicker than them and could see their moves before they made them, of standing in the lab searching for answers that were just beyond the edges of the clearing in to the thick fog…

The adrenaline of being an _officer_ and a _detective_ and a _CSI._

"_Hello?"_ Jo's voice was hesitant as she answered.

_Yeah… _Detective_ would do fine, _bitch, he growled in his mind as he thought about how Rachel and Lilly had treated him and about how he was through with it all. _"It's fine, Jo. I'm fine… She's dead… I shot her. I'm fine…"_

**ooOOoo**

Jo had just finished calling Adam to tell him to trace Mac's cell when she got another call.

She hesitated to answer when she saw Mac's caller ID flash across the screen.

"_Hello?"_ she answered. She nearly flinched when she heard her own hesitation evident in her voice.

"_It's fine, Jo. I'm fine… She's dead… I shot her. I'm fine…"_

She nearly didn't believe her ears. _"Mac? Mac? Oh my God! What the hell happened? Are you ok?"_ she gushed all her questions when she heard his voice and one of her hands raced nervously through her hair as she took in a deep breath, relieved.

"_Yeah, it's me! I promise… And I'm fine! I'm fine, I promise! Rachel… she… she just came at me and… and I got to the gun and… and…"_

The shock in Mac's voice shocked Jo herself. She had to remember it had been six years. _"Mac… are you really ok?"_ she asked gently.

"_What?"_ Mac asked, sounding distracted. _"Oh… yeah, I… I think I'm alright… yeah."_

Jo listened, concerned. _"Let me call Adam back and see if he can't get us an exact location on where you are and we'll come and get you. Hang tight, Mac. You'll be fine,"_ she told him.

There was a small moment of hesitation before Mac responded, _"Yeah… Thanks. I'll be here."_

She put Mac on hold and quickly called Adam back and told him what happened.

Ellie joined her after a moment, letting out a sigh. Then she saw the troubled look on her mother's face. "Mom… you alright?"

Jo nodded and looked over at her. "Yeah… Mac called me back. He said he was fine and that he shot Rachel. She's dead… but…," she couldn't finish and ended up shaking her head a bit with a frown.

"You don't believe him, do you?" Ellie asked.

Jo shook her head again. "It's been six years for him, Ellie. I don't think he could _ever_ fully recover from whatever the hell they did to him," she pointed out.

Ellie nodded, pausing for a moment to try and decided if it was better to leave it or say more. She decided it best to just leave the matter lay for the moment and forced a small smile, giving her mom a reassuring pat on the arm. "Well, why don't you tell Don the news? He's waiting for you at the precinct and I'm sure Adam will have something by then."

Jo nodded and smiled weakly, just realizing she still had Mac on hold. "I'll call you when we have him picked up," she said.

Ellie nodded. "I'll be here – and, Mom?" she quickly jogged after her mom as she headed for the door.

Jo stopped and looked over her shoulder. "Yeah?"

Ellie took a deep breath. "Bring him back. Bring him back safe."

Now it was Jo's turn to force a small smile. "We will."


	11. Chapter 11: Playing Their Game

**Does anyone else think it's totally crazy that so many of the stores are opening with Black Friday sales tonight at 8? I didn't know "Black Friday" meant "let's put all our deals on Thanksgiving and call it 'Black Thursday.'" I'm telling you… it's weird… Anyways… another bit of knowledge? Did you know that today Thanksgiving and Hanukah are overlapping and it won't happen for another like… 78 thousand years? I didn't know that until yesterday! Anyways, happy Holidays, whatever you're celebrating today, and here's Chapter 11!**

**~ Chapter Eleven: Playing Their Game ~**

"Don!" Jo yelled, racing across the precinct over to the Homicide Detective.

"Hey, I just talked with some of my boys; they said they got a call about a suspicious bit of activity with a black Chevy Avalanche and Tahoe that took off not too long ago," Don said, obviously unaware that Jo already knew this from Adam. (The amazing Adam had already gotten a live location off of the GPS System in the Avalanche… that tech needed a serious raise after this.)

"I know. Mac called me back," Jo said. That was enough to bring Don up short and give her his full attention. "I've got Adam to give me a solid location on him and he already got a locked location on the Avalanche. I sent Danny and Lindsay out there to check it out and process, but we need to go… Mac said he shot Rachel, but I don't know where those other characters of hers are."

Don nodded. "Alright, you driving?"

"Damn right I am. Give me the keys," Jo told him.

Don handed her the keys to his car before they both raced out to the vehicle and then off to the address Adam had given them.

**ooOOoo**

Mac let out a sigh, running a hand over his face and still trying to get himself fully calmed down. He put his phone back in his pocket as he took up a position near the window. It took him a few minutes before something occurred to him.

Alright. If Jack had wanted to take a shot at him, then he'd just take a shot at them. What goes around comes around, right?

He walked carefully around Rachel's body and took a look around the home, eyes narrowed. Jack and Ray had to keep those guns somewhere here, didn't they?

It didn't take him too long before he found exactly where. This gun didn't seem so unfamiliar to his hands as he picked it up and tested to see if the scope would work for him.

It was a wee bit off, but it would work for what he needed to do. He quickly returned to his post by the window, the gun at his side. It was more of a hunting rifle. Nothing quite like he would've used in the Marines, but it was still a rifle.

Better, it was a rifle with a scope. That's all Mac needed.

The window was open enough that he could get a clean shot right from the house and he'd turned the lights out.

They wouldn't expect anything until he blew out a tire on their truck. Even better if he could pick out the gas tank… If he could nail a bullet or two into the gas tank… they wouldn't be able to get away since that their only vehicle. They at least wouldn't be able to get very far since the truck would be leaking fuel… if not worse.

They'd have to do it on foot if they wanted out of here. Just like Mac had… And he saw headlights at the end of the road. _Their_ headlights.

He took up the rifle and watched them come closer through the scope, already turning the safety off and wrapping his index finger lightly around the trigger, prepared to take as many shots as he needed to get it done.

He'd let them know what he felt like. He'd let them know what it was like to worry about one thing and one thing only.

He'd let them know what worrying solely about _survival_ felt like. And he'd put them where he had been and he'd leave them there for the animals. Just like they'd left him.

It was cruel… but high-security prison was just as cruel, if not crueler, because there was where the real monsters lurked. Better to prepare them for it than to just let them lying in the dirt without a damn clue of what awaited them.

**ooOOoo**

Don read the text Jo had received from Adam one more time. "No wonder we didn't know where the hell he was. This is out in the middle of No-man's-land," he said, putting her phone down again and looking out the windows of the car again.

Jo nodded, gripping the steering wheel tightly.

"He'll be fine, Jo," Don told her, noticing. "He knows how to take care of himself."

Jo took a deep breath. "I know, Don, but it doesn't stop me from worrying about him. He made no mention of the others. Lilly, Ray, Sam, and Jack could still be out there and if they find that he killed Rachel…." She couldn't bring herself to finish and instead she let out a worried sigh, eyes fixed on the road as one of her hands came off the wheel to race through her hair.

Don sighed and frowned a little as he looked back out the windows. It was true, he worried too.

He just hoped they would get there in time before those jackasses found out Mac had shot Rachel and tried to hurt him again. It wasn't going to fly with him and he couldn't wait until he could put all of them behind bars for what they'd done.

**ooOOoo**

"So, do you think Rachel taught that asshole Taylor his lesson?" Lilly asked, a bottle of whiskey in her hands as Ray was at the wheel of the Tahoe.

"Damn right she did," Jack said, his hands in fists and swinging a punch in the air like he could already picture himself giving a good beating to the CSI. "She better or I'm going to have a field day with him! Even if she did, I still would!"

Sam nearly choked on his drink as he laughed. "Front row tickets, please? I want to be sure I can see his face when you hit him!"

And now they all had a good laugh. "He's a CSI! How hard could it have possibly been to give him his lesson? Six years didn't teach him, then I can only imagine what Rachel chose for her methods!" Ray put in.

"It's a real damn shame we missed it," Lilly put in, nodding solemnly before taking another drink from her bottle. And then she flashed a smile. "But I really needed a drink, and you fine gentlemen were nice enough to buy for all of us!"

Sam and Jack grinned and cheered each other as Ray smirked and Lilly simply grinned, leaning back in her seat and knocking back her bottle one more time.

**ooOOoo**

Using the scope, Mac was guessing they were roughly within his range. But he wanted to be certain he could hit one of their front tires.

He knew they'd been drinking. It was what they always did and he should know. Six years being with them was starting to pay off. He was guessing Ray was at the wheel with Jack riding shotgun and Lilly was with Sam in the second row seating.

He took a deep breath and took focus on the tires of the Tahoe as the truck got closer and closer, lining up the crosshairs with the left front. Maybe… if he was good enough for it, maybe he could get both of the front tires.

He didn't quite know what that would do to the truck. Maybe the vehicle would roll and flip. Maybe it would fishtail like the Avalanche had started to do.

He didn't know. And honestly he didn't care. He just wanted to show them he wasn't just a piece in their game anymore. If he had to play dirty like they had to do it, then so be it.**  
**


	12. Chapter 12: Playing With Fire

**Hey guys! How's your holiday goin' so far? Hope it's going great and here's just another chapter! ;) Thanks so much for the reviews, and safe travels for yourselves and those closest to you as well! ;)**

**~ Chapter Twelve: Playing With Fire ~**

The Tahoe was definitely within his range now, and Mac could clearly make out Ray in the driver's seat with Jack riding shotgun.

He took a deep breath and focused on the crosshairs lining up with the front left side tire, not missing the headlights in the background.

_Jo's here_, he noted. His finger tightened around the trigger.

_Just a squeeze. Never jerk the trigger, but a gentle squeeze, go for the right side tires next. Either one will do._

And a moment of mental silence before he squeezed the trigger. The recoil was expected and he kept his eyes focused on the Tahoe.

The truck was crippled by the left front now and Ray struggled with the wheel evidently as Mac found another opportunity.

He repositioned his aim for hitting the right rear tire, everything seeming to be in slow motion before another squeeze of the trigger and he watched the truck just long enough to see the right rear give out to the bullet and the truck spin around, exposing the location of the gas tank to Mac. He took the opportunity while it lasted and put a double-tap in to the side of the truck.

He stood quickly, using the strap to keep the gun on his shoulder as he raced to the next window closer to the door. Ray had managed to stop the Tahoe and it was a moment before he saw the four of them stumble out of the vehicle, looking like they were in some sort of daze.

But Jack was the first to look towards the house and Mac swore the two of them locked eyes for a moment, exchanging a silent message that they both understood clearly.

_This means war._

**ooOOoo**

"STOP!" Don yelled, racing a hand over to Jo's arm as Jo slammed the breaks. They could just make out the taillights of the Tahoe through the light trees and saw the house in the headlights' gleam.

Both of them were silent for a moment. "Were those gunshots?"

"Four," Jo confirmed. They both looked at each other. "Mac," they both said and Jo jammed the car back in to drive.

**ooOOoo**

"What the _hell_ was that?" Lilly yelled at Ray, glaring at him.

Ray turned on her like a bull that was seeing red everywhere. "How the fuck should I know!? The tires went down, obviously!"

Sam checked the four tires of the Tahoe. "Left front and right rear," he reported.

But Jack had his eyes fixed on the house. "Taylor," he hissed. "That means Rachel's dead!"

"What?" Three outraged voices yelled in a chorus.

Jack spun on his heels to face the three of them, ready to yell at all of them before they heard the door slam to the house behind them.

All four of them turned towards the house, taking in the sight before them with disbelieving eyes.

Mac took them all in with disgust. "Yeah. Party's over, you fucker," he growled, eyes fixed on Jack. What went around indeed came around.

Jack met his glare evenly with his own. "What the hell do you think you're doing, Detective? Addressing us like that?"

Mac's hand hovered over the rifle, ready to grab it any moment he needed. "I'm done," he stated simply. He could hear the tires of Don's car on the gravel road, but that car seemed miles away from what he was faced with now.

"Done?" Lilly snarled. "I'll tell you when you're done, you dumbass!" she continued, advancing on him.

But Mac was quicker, taking the rifle up again quickly and putting a shot in her chest.

This time there was no emotion in his eyes as he watched her fall, lifeless, to the ground.

Sam, Ray and Jack looked back at him. Ray and Sam looked more shocked than anything else.

"What the hell did you do to her?" Sam asked, racing to Lilly's side.

Mac ignored him and looked back at Jack. He nodded a bit. "Come on, then. I know you've been waiting a long time to get your hands on me," he said, motioning for Jack to step up and put his life where his mouth was. "But guess what, asshole."

Jack looked like he was ready to lunge at Mac across the distance of the driveway and rip his throat out then and there. "What, Taylor?" he asked.

Mac flashed a cold smile. "You have no idea how long I've wanted to get my hands on you, too," he said.

"Jack, don't do this!" Ray called.

Sam was off in another world, gripping Lilly's hand and staring at her lifeless eyes like somehow he could bring her back to life.

"Shut the fuck up!" Jack yelled, turning on Ray and whipping his gun out with a force that stunned Ray.

"Jack, let's just leave him! We're not going to get anything out of it anyways and the cops are here!" Ray tried to reason with Jack, indicating the car that was getting closer by the seconds.

But it was only Mac that was aware of the leaking fuel from the Tahoe and how Jack had a box of matches in the inside pocket of his jacket.

He'd hit the gas tank… and that truck only needed a spark to go up in flames.

"Come on, man!" Ray yelled, looking like this was his last attempt to take Jack with him before he would run alone.

"Go to hell, Ray! This is _my_ show now!" Jack growled, pulling the trigger.

Mac's gaze jumped back to Ray in shock and his eyes were wide as he watched Ray's shirt get stained by blood before his legs gave out from underneath him and he hit the ground, struggling for a few last breaths.

Mac looked back to Jack, who had wild fire burning in his eyes. "What the hell did you do?" he asked. No, he hadn't liked Ray, but he still couldn't wrap his head around Jack killing him.

Jack looked back at him with a maniacal smile. "I killed him. Just like I'll kill you, Detective Taylor."

Sam finally looked back up at the two of them, not even knowing about Ray's death. Without a word, he raced off in to the darkness, obviously not ready to risk it with the two others ready to fight it off to the death.

Mac and Jack watched each other. "Hand-to-hand or guns?" Mac asked, eyes narrowed as he watched Jack's grip loosen around the gun in his hands momentarily before he gripped it again.

"You think you're ready for a hand-to-hand fight, Taylor?" Jack asked, still grinning.

Mac tossed the rifle to the side and turned his eyes back to Jack. "Obviously you don't think I am."

Jack laughed and tossed his gun to the side as well. "Not with what we did to you earlier, I don't!"

_Alright, wise guy. Let's see how much you _really_ know about me and who I am_.

"Don't even think about it!"

That was Don's voice, but neither Jack nor Mac paused to look over at the Homicide Detective.

Both of them were focused on each other's next move. Mac watched as Jack tried to make up his mind on what he'd do.

His hesitation tipped Mac off. Jack was close enough to the Tahoe, and so were Jo and Don.

Everything seemed to slow down again and he turned wide blue eyes to Don and Jo, "RUN!"

And Jack whipped out one of those matches, striking it across the strip and lighting it up, throwing it back towards the small puddle and stream of leaked gasoline from the Tahoe.

And the next thing Mac remembered was watching as the truck went up in a burst of flames and Jo and Don scrambling to get away from the truck in time.


	13. Chapter 13: Heartbeat Racing

**Blah! Black Friday shopping is done! Thank goodness! XD That was exhausting, but at least I got a lot of people off my "buy" list. And now I can write up some more chapters! I probably won't get back to this until Monday, unless I sneak a chapter in before I go off with my dad for the weekend. (No computer and no WiFi… **** Ok… maybe WiFi if I go to Grandma's house… but still… no more chapters until Monday unless a few more pop in today.) Either way… on with Chapter 13!**

**~ Chapter Thirteen: Heartbeat Racing ~**

Mac ducked and had one of his hands up to shield his face from any possible blast and the burst of heat.

But he was back over it quickly and he looked over at Don's car. "JO! DON!" he yelled, worried as he scanned the lot for his two friends as the flames worked viciously on the Tahoe.

Jack was presumably somewhere engulfed in the fireball and Mac didn't exactly care if he was dead.

"Mac? Mac?"

That was Jo. He scanned over the lot again before he saw her and, to Mac's great relief, Don.

They both looked a little startled, but otherwise unscathed.

Mac ran over to her and Jo threw her arms around his neck in a hug. "Oh God, I thought you were dead!" Jo exclaimed as she hid her face in his shoulders.

"Shhh, shhh," Mac soothed, putting an arm around her shoulders, "I'm fine, I promise. We're all ok now, and that's what matters."

Don looked at the two of them, letting out his own sigh of relief that both of them were ok. "Good to see you're alright, Mac."

Mac nodded, letting out a bit of a shaky breath. "Yeah, I'm alive, right?" he asked with a slight smile.

Don let out a mix between a laugh and a kind of sigh. "Yeah, I believe we all are."

Jo finally pulled back from Mac, but stayed close. "You're certain you're alright?" she asked, looking Mac up and down with concerned eyes.

Mac nodded. "Yeah, I'm alright. Jack kicked me in the ribs and Ray got a punch in, but I'll be fine," he said.

Don frowned a bit. "A kick in the ribs?" he asked, shaking his head. "No, we better get you to a hospital and get you checked out. I don't want to take chances with what these sons of bitches could've, and have, done to you."

Mac nodded, deciding against protesting. He didn't want to hang around here anyways. Sam was on the run and he could have confirmation of Jack's death later. Fire and CSU could come out later as well to process and get that Tahoe under control.

Jo put her hand on his arm and he looked over at her and smiled softly. "Thank you."

Jo shrugged. "For what?" she asked, looking over at him.

Mac shook his head. "Everything," he said. He looked back over at her. "We've been through hell and back and I've always had every one of you with me through all of it. I could never properly repay all of you for that."

Jo was shaking her head by the time he finished. "You don't owe us anything, Mac Taylor. You've done more than you know for us just like I assume you think we've done more for you than we could ever know. It's like you said. This team is _family_. You don't turn your back on family.

Mac smiled softly. "Alright, you best quit while you're ahead or we're going to turn this in to an emotion fest, and you both know I don't handle those well."

Jo grinned and Don chuckled. "Yeah, well, let's blow this joint and leave it in the rearview. I don't _ever_ want to go through something like this again."

Mac nodded. "Yeah, I don't want to either."

And then the three of them got back in the car, Don calling for a fire truck and a unit from the CSU to come out to the address to take care of it.

Mac sat with Jo in the backseat as Don drove, Jo leaning against him as they both watched the scenery fly by.

And for the first time in a long time, having someone this close to him didn't feel strange to Mac and he didn't want to get her away from him. Instead… he didn't want to let her go.

**ooOOoo**

_A Few Weeks Later…_

"Long time no see!" Mac greeted Ellie with a smile before she hugged him.

"Yeah, tell me about it!" Ellie said as the two of them stepped back before Ellie swiped a seat on the couch.

Mac smirked. "I assume that means it's _my_ turn to do the popcorn?" he asked, already heading for the kitchen in the apartment. Jo had taken Amber for the day because Ellie had wanted some downtime alone with Mac.

Ellie grinned. "Yup. You promised," she called after him.

Mac chuckled and grabbed a bowl for the popcorn and set the microwave to work before he poked his head out the doorway to look back at Ellie as she browsed the movie selection. "Yes, I did," he said, smiling as he stepped back in to the kitchen.

Ellie joined him after a moment with a movie case in her hand. "Sherlock Holmes?" she asked, holding up the case for him to see the cover.

Mac shrugged. "Why not?" he pointed out.

Ellie smirked. "Deal," she said, racing back out to the main area to put the movie in.

Mac smirked and fished the popcorn out of the microwave after it was finished, pouring it all in the bowl and retreating to the couch, setting the bowl on the coffee table as Ellie finished setting up the movie.

"So, how're you and Amber holding up?" Ellie asked as she plopped down on the couch beside Mac and grabbed a handful of popcorn.

"Pretty good. She's settled in now and Sinclair's got me scheduled to get back to the lab in a few weeks," Mac said, grabbing some popcorn for himself.

Ellie gave a nod of approval. "Good to hear," she said with a smile. "What was the doc's verdict anyways on your ribs?" she asked.

"Nothing serious," Mac told her, "Just had to take it easy for a day or two and trust me, that did the world of wonders," he added.

Ellie smirked. "I bet Mom helped," she said knowingly.

Mac smiled. "You heard her, didn't you?" he asked.

Ellie laughed and nodded. "I can't believe you let her get away with it!"

Mac chuckled. "It's been six years! What was I supposed to tell her?" he countered with narrowed blue eyes.

Ellie laughed even more and Mac was grinning as he looked over at her. "Alright, alright! I know! Geesh!"

But Ellie continued laughing as Mac was struggling not to laugh himself, an amused smile tugging at the corners of his lips. "Alright, dang it, you win! She sounded like my own mother, alright?"

Ellie finally collapsed in to the pillows on the end of the couch, holding her stomach as she laughed even harder.

Mac was laughing himself by now. "I mean… I felt like a kid all over again. 'Do you want anything?' 'No, I'm good, Jo.' 'You sure?' What do you think 'I'm fine' means?"

"She'll kill you if she hears you imitating her like that," Ellie pointed out, starting to recover from her bout of laughing.

Mac chuckled a little more. "Yeah, I know," he muttered, shifting in to a more comfortable position leaning back on the couch as he propped his feet up on the table, careful not to knock over their bowl of popcorn. He looked over at Ellie as he grabbed another handful of popcorn. "Mind hitting 'play' for us all?" he asked.

Ellie smirked. "Sure, no problem," she said, hitting 'play' to start the movie as they both got comfortable.

It felt good to just hang out without worries. So different from the past six years. Definitely better and definitely more relaxing.

Although Ellie would definitely be pestering Mom about how she was playing this out with Uncle Mac. Something was going on more than she was letting on and Ellie was just dying to know what it was.

She smirked a little at the thought. Oh, she'd find out, alright.


	14. Chapter 14: The Future Waits

**Well, things are winding down here with this story, but thanks to all of you for the great reviews! It's truly amazing to get all of that good feedback! And a heads-up, I think I'll be organizing a few things and putting all my one-shots in to one story and clearing up a few stories I haven't worked on in ages. Plus… I have a new idea to work on from watching a movie over this past weekend, so that'll probably pop around sooner rather than later to be honest…**

**~ Chapter Fourteen: The Future Waits ~**

"This your new spot?"

Mac looked over his shoulder to see Jo walking over to join him as he stood on the roof of the crime lab building.

He smiled softly. "Might as well be," he told her as she finally stopped at his side and they both looked out at the city. The night sky stretched above them and the lights characterized Manhattan around them.

Jo smiled a little. "Amber's a handful, you know?" she said. There was almost a teasing tone to her voice and Mac laughed.

"What are you trying to imply, Danville?" he asked, grinning as he looked over at his partner.

Jo smiled. "She's a hell of lot like her father," she said, eyeing him and her smile growing in to a grin.

Mac smirked. "Am I really that big of a pain in your ass?" he asked.

Jo shrugged and put her hand on Mac's shoulder.

Mac looked back over at her, smiling softly. Something was on her mind and he knew it.

"No," Jo finally said, stepping closer to him and laying her head on his shoulder. "I love you too much to say that, Mac Taylor… Although you undeniably have your moments."

Mac smirked and put his arm around her shoulders. "Yeah, I know. Must run in the family," he said.

Jo smiled softly. "Is this coming back to Amber?"

Mac shrugged. "Yeah… My father had his moments, too, mind you," he said, smirking softly at the thought. When he looked back at Jo, she was smiling softly.

She shook her head for a moment. "Mac Taylor… you are something else," she murmured.

Mac smiled softly as she got a little closer, her forehead now pressed against his own. "Is that your way of trying to see if I'm ready?" he asked, looking at her knowingly.

Jo let out a partial laugh. "You know me too well," she replied. With that, she kissed him.

This time… there were no thoughts of pulling back.

He never would've guessed in a thousand years that he would've let Jo get this close to him… even before he'd been taken. But now… he couldn't do it without her. The road seemed a little too rough under his feet for him to walk it alone.

But thankfully… he didn't have to. Jo had already seen that and right there she was.

When Jo finally pulled back and looked at him, he was smiling. She nervously brushed a stray strand of her black hair back in its place behind her ear.

"Thanks, Jo. For everything," Mac finally said, looking back to the lights that defined Manhattan's skyline. "I honestly couldn't imagine doing this without you. Any of you."

Jo smiled softly and stayed close to him, laying her head on his shoulder again. "Oh, I think you already know what this team is. The future waits for us all, Mac, and none of us know what it'll be for us, but we've got each other because this team is so much more than just a team."

Mac smiled and looked down at her. "And I am thankful beyond words that I've had the chance to meet every single one of you. I couldn't ask for a better family than the team. You guys are… well, something else."

Jo smirked. "You're running out of words, aren't you?" she teased.

Mac chuckled softly. "Yes, actually, I am."

"What about drinks later?"

Mac smirked. "Danny's idea?"

"You know it," Jo said, smiling.

"Deal."

"Well, let's go then!" Jo said, standing and slapping him on the arm lightly. "We're going to be late!"

Mac looked at her in surprise. "Tonight?" he asked.

"Yes, tonight, Mac Taylor!" Jo said with a nod, already heading for the door. She paused to look back at him. "And don't you dare play hardass and tell me you've got things to do in the lab. You and I both know everything's taken care of."

Mac smirked and shook his head. "Oh… the things you guys get me in to," he muttered, joining Jo as she headed back for the lab.

Jo grinned as he caught up to her. "Oh, shut up. You need it."

Mac smiled. "Alright, relax. I know I do."

_The End_

**There you have it! Pfffttt…. They did it! Did not honestly have that planned when I started! XD But it fit… so that's exactly why it happened. I hope you enjoyed it and thanks so much for the reviews guys!**


End file.
